The subject matter of the present invention relates to a field transportable battery disposal unit adapted to be easily transported to any location where the use of batteries and their ultimate disposal is required.
Lithium batteries are often used at field locations near a wellsite. When the batteries are exhausted, it is necessary to safely dispose of the batteries. However, lithium batteries contain hazardous ingredients which preclude disposal in public landfills. The typical hazardous ingredients include lithium metal and corrosive electrolyte of which portions, depending on the state of discharge, still remain at end of battery useful life. The prior art method involving the safe disposal of these batteries required that the exhausted batteries be shipped to a central facility where, using large and expensive equipment, they were mechanically crushed and chemically neutralized, the remnants being discarded in a public landfill. The rationale for this approach is to breach and break open the internal cells in the battery packaging and expose the internal ingredients to a neutralizing solution, thus rendering the entire battery remnants safe for ultimate landfill disposal. However, the major disadvantage associated with this method concerns the use of the large and expensive equipment to crush and neutralize the batteries. Furthermore, due to regulatory constraints involving the shipment of the exhausted batteries, it is exceedingly difficult to ship the exhausted batteries to the central facility.